Another year just went by and unfortunately, the world is getting further and further from being a safer place. Global terrorism has gotten so deeply rooted into our daily routines that fewer people notice the frequency and intensity of the attacks. Not a week goes by without some sort of terrorist attack taking place somewhere in the world. While they are not ALL targeted at Israel and/or the global Jewish community, many are. Any student of current world events would easily notice that there is connection and progression from hatred of the Jewish people to hatred of the West and Judeo-Christian values. For a while now, Jewish people have been the “canaries in the coal mine of civilization.” 2017 will be a very interesting transitional year in many ways. We can certainly learn from some of the key events of 2016. It could be remembered as the year when the world tried to erase Israel from history. Here is my summary of antisemitism through the year 2016:

On January 7, 2016, The U.S. Department of State issued a statement in which Secretary of State John Kerry wanted to recognize the victims of the Paris attacks of January 7, 8, 9, 2015: “On the one-year anniversary of the January 7-9, 2015, attacks that took the lives of 17 people, we honor the victims of this tragedy and share the sadness of their loss. Their legacy endures as a challenge and inspiration to all of us. Charlie Hebdo continues to publish, and journalists around the world continue in their essential mission to tell the stories that people everywhere need to hear…. Just as we tackle today’s most daunting challenges side by side, the United States and France will always stand together.” There was no mention of the police officer or the four Jewish victims. The whole tragedy was bundled under the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

For John Kerry not to mention the Jewish victim was a diplomatic faux pas at best and antisemitism by omission at worst. It would have been easy to say “12 members of the Charlie Hebdo staff, one police officer in the line of duty and four Jewish people shopping in a kosher Market.” By generalizing his statement, he ignored the French Jewish victims and offended them. I wonder…. was there any other group he cared not to offend by leaving the Jews out of his statement?

There is no real consensus within Greater Europe as to how to handle the flow of migrants. Some Balkan countries like Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia are now closing their borders. Hungary closed its southern border and even sent armored vehicles to protect it. Sweden on the other hand, like many European countries has had an “open borders” policy allowing for a heavy flow of mostly unchecked refugees. Of course, Germany has been the dream come true for hundreds of thousands of “migrants.” This dream come true is now a real nightmare for Europe in general and Germany in particular. Countries like Sweden and Germany are in big trouble, and the kind of trouble they have allowed and continue to allow cannot be contained within their respective borders, at least not under the current conditions. So they are now controlling their borders and possibly closing them. Well, it’s about time, but could it already be too late?

Is Germany subconsciously suffering from Post-holocaust guilt? It took decades for the German people to get over the Nazi Holocaust. Today, Germany has strong laws against hate crimes and anti-Semitism, even if they might not all be enforced. Obviously, the last thing that Germany would want to be accused of is a repeat of its treatment of human beings during WWII. Thus the pendulum swings opposite side the Nazi ideology. Good for them, but be careful because there is bad in both extremes! Germany has been trying so hard to distance itself from the 1930s that it is blinded by a crisis that could put them right back there!

On March 22, 2016 the world witnessed the deadliest terrorist attack on Belgian soil. The concerted bombings at the Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek Metro station claimed the lives of over 30 people and injured over 300. In the midst of a tragedy like this, people–Religious or not, Belgians or not– seem to cling together in a sobering demonstration of solidarity.

What is even more disturbing is the fact that these acts don’t seem to phase anyone in the media. A woman in a Hijab and wearing a Palestinian scarf is seen tearing an Israeli flag apart and then covering the remains with the Palestinian flag as people all around her watch in silence. Apparently, Israel bashing now supersedes any international display of unity in honor of terror victims.

On Monday April 18, 2016, a bus exploded in south Jerusalem, making it the first major explosion of that type since the Second Intifada. Twenty-one people were injured in the process. This newest act of terrorism was welcomed with cheers from many Palestinians on the streets. Of course, you would be hard pressed to find any denouncing of the Palestinian jubilation from the United Nations. Imagine for a moment that Israel would be the one celebrating the death of Palestinians. The Palestinian authority would cry to the world and the media would feed on that opportunity for days if not weeks, finding enough evidence to validate their hatred of the Jewish state.

Around the same time, the world was shaken by a serious earthquake claiming over 410 lives in Ecuador and injuring over 2,500 people. Additionally, Japan was also hit by a 7.3 earthquake just a few days prior to Ecuador. Forty-four people died and over a thousand were injured, not to mention the tremendous tolls on both economies and the tens of thousands of people left without homes and/or basic resources. Once again, Israel sent help to both Japan and Ecuador almost immediately. Where was the Palestinian team in Ecuador, Japan, Haiti or any other area of the world where humanitarian aid was needed? Nowhere! I don’t expect Palestinians to go out of their way to help Israeli in a crisis situation (although it is always possible), but I expect Palestinians of good will to reach out to the world community and give a helping hand. Where were they?

These moves not only delegitimize Israel and the Jewish people, but hey also embolden her enemies. All this is being done with absolutely no historical foundation, simply in an attempt to weaken Israel. If factual truth mattered, UNESCO would obviously admit that the Temple Mount existed centuries before Islam was even born in 610 CE. Archeological and historical evidence are here to prove it and it should be exactly what the United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization uses to determine the legitimacy of historical sites.

There are plenty of Evangelical denominations loving Israel such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the Calvary Chapel movement, the Assemblies of God and others. But, Israel has also been treated as a pariah by several mainline Evangelical groups for years. The Presbyterian Church USA (PC-USA) voted to divest from Motorola, HP and Caterpillar at their last General Assembly in 2014.

Another denomination that isn’t necessarily known for its support of Israel is the United Methodist Church (UM). Possibly the largest mainline Protestant denomination, the UM have been struggling with their support for Israel in an age of social justice and political correctness. They already turned down two divestment proposals in 2012. Like the PC(USA) members, United Methodists are far from unanimous on their support for Israel. Many would rather see BDS being enforced. Yet, they recently suffered a major setback when all four proposed BDS resolutions were turned down at their May 2016 General Conference.

It is clear that the BDS movement, while still a force to be reckoned with, isn’t equally embraced across the whole spectrum of all Christian denominations. We must also seek biblical/factual truth about the Middle East crisis, something that conferences like Christ at the Checkpoint and documents such as Kairos-Palestine are not interested in. I am also convinced that in due time all BDS proponents will suffer the curse of Genesis 12:3.

For the last several decades, Europe has been a haven of opportunities for immigrants from a myriad of countries. For various reasons going from political to economic to ethnic, people from all over the world have flocked to the continent, slowly changing the demographics of “Old Europe.”

The reasons for the various immigrants to leave their countries were not necessarily the same as the reasons for the hosting countries to accept them. In many cases like France and Germany in the 1950s and following decades, the hosting countries were interested in cheap labor as well as a labor force that would be willing to take on the tasks that some of the natives deemed unworthy. I grew-up in the 1960s in France where almost all street sweepers and trash collectors were either Arabs or Africans. Immigrants came seeking a better life, they didn’t always get it.

Fifty years ago, there was already a noticeable influx of refugees from Muslim countries. Islam was a reality, but it had not evolved into this multi-faceted ideology punctuating the lives of a newer generation of Muslims. Islam of the 1950 and 60s was harmless. Harmless because it wasn’t political and hadn’t had a chance to get radicalized yet.

Back then, the willingness of most European countries to take in immigrants was somewhat shrouded with naiveté. These destitute and abused people needed protection regardless of their upbringing, countries of origin and/or religion. None of it mattered when it came to provide them with safe haven, and rightfully so–even if there was the ulterior motive of cheap labor. It was the right thing to do then, but is it still the right thing to do now? In theory, YES, but things are much more complicated today than they were fifty years ago.

The unspoken expectation of the hosting countries was that their new influx of immigrants would assimilate. They would learn the language if needed. They would get any job available to provide for their family and they would adopt the culture or at the very least adapt to it. This isn’t to say that they couldn’t remain culturally and spiritually connected to their origins. It is perfectly normal and encouraged to maintain our customs in the home. I am a Jew born in Paris, France who lives in America. I can continue to practice anything Jewish at home or in a congregational setting as well as maintain my French customs and habits if desired, as long as I assimilate within the American culture and society to become a fruitful member of that very society.

Almost every religion and/or ethnic group in the world has understood and accepted these parameters as they moved to different countries to seek better lives. Unfortunately–and this isn’t an attempt at profiling–a section of Islam has done the very opposite. They have refused to assimilate or integrate socially and have forced themselves into self-imposed ghettos. They have re-organized as mini enclaves of Islam in their respective hosting countries, gradually expecting the hosts to assimilate to their [Muslim] way of life. It has been a slow process, vastly ignored by ignorance or by choice. But in the last 10 years, Islamic radicalism has been pushing faster, stronger and further.

We are seeing a reverse assimilation of natives in various European countries. The very countries that were supposed to positively influence the migrants coming to them are being influenced and increasingly “forced” to flex to a foreign ideology that I believe is changing the fabric of Europe forever. This is upside-down assimilation, and in the context of Islam is also known as “dhimmitude.” Consider just a few decisions made by these European countries:

This reverse assimilation effect that is currently plaguing most of Europe can only lead to the subjugation and Islamization of the continent, unless stricter laws are passed and enforced, and borders better controlled or even closed. Not to mention the potential terrorists freely infiltrating all of Europe, completely unchecked. I fear that most Europeans already feel overwhelmed and that they have given up on fighting back. Most governments realize that they are in a crisis, yet the demon of political correctness has possessed them, muted their voices and tied their hands. They have become the puppets of Islamo-fascism. In many cases like Sweden, France and Germany, the Muslim voting block is now making a difference between victory or defeat for key candidates.

Assimilation and integration of Muslims in Europe has been a complete failure. No-Go Zones do exist against the media’s propaganda telling us that they don’t. The migrant crisis of the last two years has nothing in common with the Muslim immigration of the last fifty years, but Europe is still handling it like it does, that will not work! It is time to wake up, lest you are awakened by the voice of a muezzin in the early hours of the morning from a minaret near you!

When you fail to be proactive you are left with two choices. You can completely ignore the crisis at hand and quickly become overtaken by it, or you can do your best to handle it as you become reactive. Today, the European Union finds itself somewhere in the middle of denial and reaction.

There is not one country in Europe that can ignore the reality of the current wave of emigration out of Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and other countries. Some news outlets are even starting to describe it as an exodus, as we are seeing very large numbers of people fleeing various countries. Europe was touched by the photo of a Syrian baby’s body dead on the beach. The whole world reacted in horror and sadness. I join them in mourning the loss of that innocent little boy and the many others who tried to escape their respective countries. Germany reacted the strongest and took the lead in welcoming migrants. They might receive as many as 1.5 million people by year’s end.

I am not ready to call Merkel’s move “political courage.”I don’t doubt that she wants to help desperate people seeking asylum but I cannot ignore the fact that she is hoping to boost Germany’s economy by allowing migrants to be added to its workforce. I would prefer to call it political courage mixed with economic greed. Yet, the professional skills and talent brought by the migrants remain to be determined. If they turn out to be unskilled laborers, Germany could find itself at the head of a bigger problem.

Sweden isn’t far behind and neither is France along with other countries like Serbia, Austria, the Netherlands and Hungary. Let’s face it, ethnic migrations are not a bad thing. America’s fabric is mostly the result of massive migrations over the years, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as there is a certain amount of control in the process of integrating migrants.

Control is exactly what Germany and most of the EU are lacking. Germany is seeing an increase of rape and forced prostitution between asylum seekers forced to temporarily live in tight co-ed quarters. But there are also many reports of rape of German women by migrants, as there are apparently more males than females migrating to Europe and the demand for female sex partners is high. Even if many of the new immigrants are not rapists or thugs, reports abound of Muslims refusing treatment by women in hospitals and relief centers.

Another ignored danger coming to Europe is anti-Semitism. Almost all the asylum seekers, being war refugees or economic migrants come from Muslim countries. They were raised where anti-Semitism is a congenital indoctrination. Hating Jews and desiring the destruction of Israel is in their cultural DNA. No, this doesn’t make every single Muslim an anti-Semite, but it still increases the danger of Jew hatred on a continent that certainly could use a break in that area. With about a million refugees coming to Germany by the end of 2015, the scale is quickly being tipped. Apparently, some Palestinians and some members of ISIS are mixed in the current flux of migrants. They didn’t flee Islam, they fled a geographical area to bring Islam to another, and that is a critical difference that we shouldn’t ignore. The jewish communities of Germany, France and the Netherlands to name just a few, are worried about surges of radical Islamic anti-Semitism.

Some will be quick to react and claim that this is Islam’s ultimate goal of a global Caliphate as they attempt to retake areas that were previously under the Muslim banner. It is possible, but even if the current “exodus” is not a direct invasion–and it probably isn’t–it creates a lot of tension as Islam still continues to grow in Europe.

When I was conducting my research for my first book “They Have Conspired“, I came to the conclusion that at the current rate (2000-2005) of Muslim immigration and birthrate, Europe would probably become a continent with a majority of Muslims by 2050. I was not counting on the current mass exodus that has been taking place for the last few months. I do not think that it will take another 35 years for the scale to be tipped. Of course, we have to also take in consideration that many European countries are seeing their natives immigrate to other countries. What I am saying here is no different that what I said 10 years ago except for the fact that things are speeding up in front of our eyes.

Several European countries are on the verge of economic collapse. Greece is already there. The migrant crisis is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is also a cultural crisis, a financial crisis and a political crisis. It looks like Europe is letting the fox inside the chicken coop. In the meantime, there are plenty of countries that could welcome some of the refugees but won’t. Many of them in the Middle East and the Gulf States, a place where culture, ideology, language and religion are already familiar to many of the refugees.

The very fabric of Europe and even of Western Civilization is about to change forever very quickly, and I am not sure that it is for the better! It might surprise you but look at what Sir Winston Churchill said it in 1899:“Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”

If he was around today, he would look at the European leaders take a puff off his cigar and say: “I told you so!”

At the very time when global borders should be tightly monitored because of the ISIS invasion, Europe is faced with a tsunami of migrants. I choose to call them migrants because they are far from all being “refugees.” The guidelines of acceptance vary from one European country to the next. It goes from Germany having pledged to receive in excess of 800,000 refugees to Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Hungary building fences and walls to prevent anyone from entering illegally. The one thing that all these European countries have in common is a lack of preparedness for such a tidal wave of people.
To be sure, there has always been a somewhat steady flow of immigrants to Europe. They have always been attracted by better lives and safer environments and even in some cases, financial independence.
France opened its doors to Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian migrants in the 1950s. They came as guest workers and received the jobs that native Frenchmen wouldn’t dare touch such as garbage collectors, street sweepers and construction workers. Today, their kids and grandkids are French citizens constituting a hard to ignore voting power as seen during the last French presidential elections.

Too many, too fast:
It would almost appear that the refugee crisis happened overnight. It seems like the on-going Syrian civil war is forcing people out. Nobody can argue with one’s decision to leave their native land to escape persecution, oppression and even death. So the question isn’t about the validity of the Syrian refugee flight. One of the concerns is the sheer number of migrants. For 20 years now, the “New Europe” has allowed people to move freely between its borders, acting as if it had virtually erased them all. But the recent flow of migrants has many European countries reconsider and re-close their borders. Germany still believes that they can welcome at least another 800,000 migrants. Chancellor Merkel is under the assumption that her refugee intake will help balance out the dangerously low native birthrate. I am not convinced that we are comparing apples to apple here! There isn’t one country in Europe that has the infrastructure to assimilate such a flow of people properly. We have already seen issues in the area of space needed, health and safety. Curiously enough, most Gulf States like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait that speak a similar language, have similarity in culture and religion have taken none. NONE! They do have the space and are some of the richest countries in the world and they have taken none, WHY?

Not all Syrians are Syrians:And that is all before we even entertain the concept of some of the migrants being impostors. When I speak of impostors, I actually mean two different kinds. First we have those who claim to be Syrians but are not. We could call them the “desperate impostors”. Technically, only legal immigrants can remain in a host country. Others, without the proper application of identification papers will be sent back. Of course, this doesn’t apply to war or political refugees. Syrians qualify as refugees of war and as such have a much greater rate of acceptance (98%). Since the publication of the 1951 Refugee Convention by the UNHCR, a refugee is a person who from “fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” Going by that definition, Syrians qualify as refugees, along with other countries being plagued by civil unrest. In reality, many people are flooding the European borders with little or no proof of Syrian citizenship.

A Potentially Dangerous mix:Then we have those who choose to pose as Syrians to be granted asylum and benefits but know all along that they enter a country with a different agenda. These are dangerous individuals that we could call the “radical impostors.” They belong to Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist organizations. Their immigration isn’t a result from persecution and/or oppression but rather based on their desire to infiltrate, recruit, train and deploy more terrorists. The last 18 months have shown us the damage inflicted by ISIS infiltration and recruitment. The current wave of migration will only exacerbate the whole problem. It is virtually impossible to detect a Syrian from a non-Syrian refugee, so how do various European governments expect to detect ISIS impostors? Good luck with that!

An Unlikely Assimilation:
Being migrants in search of a better life or refugees seeking asylum, the vast majority of these people have Islam in common. In and of itself, this shouldn’t be a concern since the very definition of who qualifies as a refugee includes freedom of religion. Yet it should now be very obvious to the West that Muslims do not integrate and assimilate very well if at all. This isn’t to say that all the incoming Muslims are a menace to Europe, but there is a danger to the cultural and religious divide that is being created by their insertion into the respective countries. And frankly, ISIS’ recruits have almost exclusively been from Islam sympathizers of all sorts. Yet there is also another possibility that most westerners are unaware of and that is part of Islam’s ideology. It is some sort of “stealth jihad” akin to the changing demographics due to European Muslim high birthrates of the last 50 years. It is known as the Islamic doctrine of migration or hijrah.

The Muslim Migration Known as Hijrah :Islam’s expert Robert Spencer writes: “To emigrate in the cause of Allah – that is, to move to a new land in order to bring Islam there, is considered in Islam to be a highly meritorious act,” . He then quotes Islam’s holy book: “And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many locations and abundance, And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him, his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful” (Quran 4:100).While the original concept of hijrah is based on Mohammed’s flight from Mecca to Medina, it can also be applied to modern Muslim migrations. It is usually referring to leaving a country were Muslim are persecuted for one where they are welcome and can join other Muslims. But it can also refer to their moving to a non-Muslim country considered to be a “lesser evil.” This goes against every fiber of postmodernism, multiculturalism and tolerance, yet it is happening in front of our very eyes. Again, this doesn’t mean that every Muslim is to be treated as a potential terrorist, although I have no doubt that many will end up being manipulated into the radical Islamist agenda, either against their will or even unbeknownst to them.

Europe might not yet be on the edge of extinction but in light of the current refugee crisis, it is running the risk of reaching that point of no return sooner than expected. Many European countries already have a severe “native birthrate drought” and are seeing a demographic Muslim takeover. I am all in favor of helping refugees, but now is not the time to uncontrollably open borders to unknown Muslim migrants. This blurred combination of stealth jihad, demographic jihad and radical apocalyptic jihad is a lethal cocktail that Europe doesn’t seem to be able to control!

This unprecedented increase in immigration didn’t just happen because of the Paris attacks of January 2015. To be sure, the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe in general and France in particular has led to an exponential increase in the number of European Jews making Aliyah. But again, France is way ahead of all the other European countries. In 2012, about 2,000 Jewish people left France for Israel followed by 3,120 in 2013 (a 60% increase over 2012). Then in 2014, over 7,000 French Jews made Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, making it the largest Aliyah out of France since the 1970s and the top country for Jewish emigration in 2014( the highest global number in 12 years). We must keep in perspective that this number of over 12,000 Jews out of France over the last three years all happened even before the events of January 2015.

Over 1,000 Jews have already left France for Israel in the first two months of 2015. Numbers could exceed 10,000 by the end of the year. This is of course if no other tragic act of anti-Semitism takes place in France, something I am unfortunately not willing to bet on. Here are some other frightening statistics from the Jewish People Policy Institute:

At least 15,000 French Jews are expected to make Aliyah by 2016. (possibly as many as 10,000 in 2015)

The Jewish Agency is planning for up to 120,000 French Jews to move to Israel in the next 4 years.

By 2030, over half of French Jewry could have made Aliyah.

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky expressed his fears in the summer of 2014 in Paris while the Gaza War was taking place in the Middle East, and French Jews were already leaving in droves. He was quoted saying: “Something historic is happening, it may be the beginning of the end of European Jewry. I think it’s a tragedy for Europe, what is happening in France, the strongest of Europe’s Jewish communities, reflects processes taking place elsewhere in Europe. I keep asking people if Jews have a future in Europe.”

I am afraid that Mr. Sharansky might have been right. We could be witnessing the start of the decline of European Jewry with the departure of the French Jews as some sort of “handwriting on the wall” of western European civilization. The question that I ask myself has to do with the numbers of Jews leaving or planning to leave in the next few years. While a few thousands already create a noticeable demographic shift, if we indeed see up to 100,000 Jews leave France in the next five years or so, we are not talking Aliyah anymore, we are talking exodus.

Not all French Jews will immigrate to Israel. Some will move to America, Canada and even the U.K, but those who choose to make Israel their new home will constitute a formidable demographic and economic challenge to region. Set aside the challenge, Israel will gain a pool of people that will undoubtedly contribute to its further developing. It will be a win/win situation for the French Jews and Israel.

The loser in all this will be Europe. Already demographically circling the drain, Europe cannot afford to lose its Jews. With the Jews still in Europe, we are already seeing the emergence of Eurabia as a result of the Muslim “demographic Jihad” of the last 50 years. Even though French government officials expressed their desire to see French Jews remaining in the country, If France cannot protect its Jews, it is only a matter of time before other people groups or minorities become a target.

If indeed we are in the infancy stage of a mass European Jewish exodus, there is much more at stake than the loss of a once thriving community. God was not speaking figuratively when He promised Abraham to bless those who bless him and the Jewish people and curse him who curses them (Genesis 12:1-3). God meant every word of it then and He means every word of it today. With its Jews leaving, France becomes even more vulnerable to her enemies. Isn’t it ironic that the very people that many have described as a curse actually are a blessing from God?